A Door to Forgiveness
by 50of47
Summary: Janeway and Chakotay resolve lingering issues after Equinox.


DISCLAIMER: The Voyager Universe: Paramount's. This story idea and its J/C departure from canon: mine. Profit: I wish.

RATING: PG

SUMMARY: Janeway and Chakotay resolve lingering issues after Equinox.

A Door to Forgiveness

by 50of47

The open door beckoned from across the quiet street. It was exactly where Tuvok said it would be. Chakotay had been exploring the Old Quarter of Luterna, a coastal city on the planet Riskan, where the crew was enjoying an extended shore leave while the ship underwent much-needed repairs and overhaul.

The encounter with the Equinox had left several of _Voyager's_ critical systems badly compromised. In addition, Max Burke's treachery in stealing the multiphasic field generator meant to protect them from the deadly nucleogenic "Spirits of Good Fortune," together with Captain Janeway's out-of-character behavior in pursuing a personal vendetta against Captain Ransom had unsettled and demoralized the crew. People were still on edge three weeks after the incident, despite all of Neelix's considerable efforts at raising their spirits.

When the First Prefect of Riskan had offered the hospitality of his planet for the duration of _Voyager's_ stay in orbital spacedock, the timing could not have been better. The Doctor considered a change of scenery to be the best prescription for badly frayed nerves, and wasted no time in recommending extended shore leave on the lush planet with its friendly inhabitants.

Chakotay sighed. Everyone had jumped at the opportunity to visit Riskan, with the notable exception of the one person who probably needed it the most. He knew that the Doctor would eventually "persuade" the Captain to go down to the surface by citing some medical regulation, but he wondered how much good enforced shore leave would do when there were still unresolved issues left hanging in the air between them. Since the Equinox incident, the Captain had been avoiding him almost entirely during her off-duty hours.

Chakotay knew that she would eventually subdue her inner demons and come to him to restore their friendship, but for today, he was determined to focus on renewing his own strength and peace of mind. The lingering emotional trauma connected with the Equinox incident would not dissipate any time soon, and Chakotay knew he would need his equanimity back. He expected that much of the crew would eventually find their way to his office to talk it over when _Voyager_ was finally underway again.

He shook off his pensive mood and crossed the street to climb the four steps beyond the door into a walled garden. Tuvok had found it two days ago and promptly recommended a visit to the First Officer. It was clearly intended as a quiet sanctuary in the middle of a bustling city, someplace where people could visit to enjoy the unexpected, almost-rural beauty and quiet around them. The Vulcan had described several more secluded areas that were suitable for private reflection, if one walked deeper into the small forest on the grounds.

Chakotay glanced to his right as he entered. Up two additional steps in that direction was a small area with stone benches and tables around its perimeter. A family with several young children was seated at one of the larger tables, sharing a light meal together in the open air. Couples sat close and talked quietly, while other people occupied themselves with reading or enjoying the colorful flowers planted in the center of the space and in beds surrounding the larger flagstone-paved main plaza.

Chakotay continued on across the main plaza until he reached a grassy path that led through the flowerbeds and into the forest. As he walked in deeper among the trees, the sense of being in a city with all of its many distractions vanished completely. Grass underfoot gave way to moss, with several trails through the forest worn into the velvety surface. Flowering plants and shrubs grew abundantly in scattered clumps throughout, strongly perfuming the air with their pleasant scent, while colorful butterflies danced overhead and birds filled the quiet with melodious song.

Chakotay's ears caught the sound of rapidly flowing water, and he followed it until he came to a brook which flowed noisily over a rock-strewn bed. Crossing a small footbridge over the water, he walked past a gazebo until he came to a steep slope with rocky outcroppings and a path leading upward into a clearing. Once he reached the top of the path, Chakotay could easily see the glint of sunlight on the surface of a distant inlet visible beyond the thinning trees on the far edge of the open space. He found a comfortable spot on the grass under a large shade tree that afforded him a view of the inlet's sparkling surface and the ocean beyond it.

He spent a few minutes just sitting in the dappled sunlight, enjoying the scenery and fresh air as he waited for his thoughts to settle. Once his mind was quiet, he reached into the small shoulder pack he had brought with him and removed his medicine bundle, opening it and arranging its contents before him. Chakotay took a deep breath, and glancing around once more at his peaceful surroundings, he then placed his hand on the akoonah. His eyes drifted closed as he quietly intoned, "A-koo-chee-moya..."

Meanwhile, on _Voyager_, Neelix burst uninvited into the Ready Room through the private entrance. Tuvok turned from where he stood in front of the desk giving Janeway a status report, glared sternly at the flustered Talaxian, and said, "Mr. Neelix."

"I know I'm interrupting something very important, Mr. Vulcan, but I have to warn the Captain," said Neelix. "I just ran into the Doctor, and he's insisting she has to take shore leave this very minute, or he'll relieve her of duty. Can he do that?"

"Yes, he can, Neelix," answered Janeway quietly, "if he feels there is a valid medical or psychological reason. I've not taken leave in quite some time, so I expect he's gone into full mother hen mode by now." She glanced away momentarily and suppressed a shudder as she said, "We have been through quite a bit recently." Janeway looked back at the two and said, "Actually, I'd been planning to spend a few days on Riskan, but B'Elanna refused to take time off until repairs were complete. I told her I'd keep an eye on everything for her while she and Tom spent some well-deserved time together on the planet. It's just as well. I have this pile of reports to get through."

"You could always take a couple with you down to the planet," said Neelix. "I know a wonderful little place for a picnic lunch. You can relax in the fresh air while you read, get in a little shore leave, and make the Doctor happy, all at the same time."

"Both Mr. Carey and Vorik are on duty in Engineering," said Tuvok, chiming in. "I would be willing to oversee the progress of repairs for the balance of your shift, and could also prepare a summary of the unread reports on your desk for your return, Captain, should you wish to take time off. The crew will not benefit..."

"...from an exhausted, workaholic Captain. I know, Tuvok," said Janeway. "It's not as if the thought of playing hooky hadn't already crossed my mind. I found myself rereading the same paragraph for the third time just before you walked in with your update."

Neelix pulled out the heavy artillery. "I have lingaberry strudel with paracream glaze for dessert, Captain," he wheedled. "Coffee..."

She glanced over at Neelix with a smile and said, "All right, you two."

"You won't be sorry," said Neelix. "You just leave everything to me. I'll go soothe our mother hen's ruffled holographic feathers, and have our picnic lunch packed and ready to go in no time at all. Wear something for mild weather."

"Aye aye, sir," said Janeway with a smile as she stood. "Twenty minutes?"

"Transporter room two, Captain," said Neelix, "and don't be late."

Janeway walked around from behind the desk, saying to Tuvok with a sweeping gesture and a smirk, "All yours." She left the Ready Room for her quarters through the private exit, tossing a "see you in twenty minutes" over her shoulder at Neelix as she stepped into the corridor.

The door snapped shut, and a wide grin split the Talaxian's face. "That was easy," he said.

"Indeed," said Tuvok, raising an eyebrow as the faintest ghost of a smile flitted across his dark features.

Janeway and Neelix materialized across the street from the same open door Chakotay had walked through earlier. Neelix led her into the walled garden. She took in the large stone plaza surrounded by colorful flowerbeds, the small area to the right with its benches and tables, and turning around, the high wooden wall with its small roof over the open door.

"What is this place, Neelix?"

"We're on the grounds of the Luternan monastery," he said. Noting her concerned expression, he continued, "We're not trespassing, Captain. The monastery's been renowned as a center of spiritual healing for centuries. The monks only put up the wall for privacy once the city began to grow up around them. This garden is their gift to anyone who needs time away from their everyday routine. We're free to enjoy the gardens or walk in the forest, or even eat a meal here if we like. I overheard Mr. Tuvok talking about it, and came here yesterday to see for myself."

"So, where are we having lunch?" Janeway asked.

"Right this way," said Neelix with a smile. "You haven't seen the best part of the grounds yet."

They walked across the large plaza and followed the grassy path into the forest. When they came to the brook, Neelix led Janeway across the footbridge and onward to the gazebo. He turned to her and bowed slightly, saying as he gestured toward the shaded interior, "Your table awaits."

Janeway's face lit up at the sight before her. Two steps led up into the octagonal gazebo, whose column-supported peaked roof was covered with dark terra cotta tiles, and would shelter them from direct sun and any stray shower that might fall. Seven sides of the structure had waist-high ornately detailed iron grilles topped with a railing between the columns. A wide bench ran around most of the inside perimeter. Flowering vines with dark green heart-shaped leaves and sky blue and lavender trumpet-shaped blossoms wound through the grillwork and curled themselves around the columns. The sweet aroma of the flowers drew butterflies and hummingbirds to the gazebo.

"Neelix, it's beautiful. This is just what I needed," Janeway said.

"I thought so. Shall we?" Neelix asked. He set the picnic basket he'd brought with them down onto the bench inside the gazebo and began to unpack their lunch. Uncorking a thermos, he filled its cap with hot liquid and held it out to Janeway.

"Coffee! And you've brought enough food for an army, Neelix. I doubt we'll be able to eat it all."

"Nonsense, Captain. If we stay the rest of the day, all this fresh air will give us both quite an appetite."

Janeway just smiled and dug into the container of deviled throck.

An hour later found the Captain leaning back against one of the grillwork sides of the gazebo, dozing over her padd as she tried to get through the most recent fuel consumption report. Her head sagged, then bobbed suddenly, and she sat up straighter on the bench, having startled herself completely awake. She set her padd down and leaned back again, closing her eyes for a few moments to focus entirely on the birdsong and flower scents around her. She could feel herself beginning to relax completely for the first time in months.

When she opened her eyes again, Janeway saw Neelix down on the forest floor, several meters away and gathering what looked to be wild herbs, along with several specimens of the flowering plants that grew so abundantly among the trees. She was about to tell him that he shouldn't be collecting them when he looked up and smiled.

"It's all right, Captain. Tuvok got permission from the monks before we beamed down," he called out. "Some of these herbs have medicinal uses, so the Doctor requested specimens for study. And these," he said, waving several plants full of cream-colored blossoms, "are for Mr. Vulcan. The monks collect the seed pods once they ripen and grind them into incense to use during meditation. They scatter any leftover seeds throughout the forest, so there's always plenty for anyone who'd like to take a few plants home. Don't they smell wonderful?"

Before Janeway could answer, Neelix's combadge beeped. "Tuvok to Neelix."

The Captain tapped her combadge. "Janeway here, Mr. Tuvok. Is there a problem?"

"Captain, Vorik's team is about start some modifications to Mr. Neelix's galley. It would be advisable for him to beam back to the ship and supervise their efforts. However, there is no immediate need for you to return if you wish to continue 'playing hooky.' The Luternan monks have a dampening field in place that does not allow particle weapons to operate on the monastery grounds and defile its sanctuary nature. I consider any risk to you to be minimal. Although the property only covers several square kilometers, there is considerably more to see if you wish to stay and explore it further."

By this time, Neelix had returned to the gazebo with the specimens he had gathered. "I have several of those plants you wanted, Mr. Vulcan. I'd like to set them up in Airponics before they start to wilt. If Vorik and his people would get started, I'll meet up with them in a few minutes."

"Agreed, Mr. Neelix. Captain?"

"The fresh air does seem to be working wonders on me, Tuvok," she said, "so I'll let you hold down the fort a while longer, if you don't mind. If you could have the book on the table near the ready room couch beamed down to my location, I'll make an afternoon of it."

"Very well. Mr. Neelix, prepare for transport," he said.

"Just a minute, Tuvok." Neelix turned to Janeway and said, "Captain, I packed another thermos with that Vulcan spice tea you like so much, and the food shouldn't spoil before you get back to Voyager, in case you get hungry again. Just be sure to bring the basket back when you return - I'd hate to lose it."

"Will do, Neelix," she said.

"Ready for transport, Mr. Vulcan."

"Acknowledged. Tuvok out."

A high-pitched whine sounded in the forest as a blue beam caught Neelix and whisked him away. As he stepped off the transporter platform back on Voyager, he saw Tuvok at the console and said, "Now we wait."

Chakotay slowly became aware of his surroundings as he returned from what had been a challenging but very rewarding vision quest. He felt spiritually refreshed, and continued to sit with his eyes closed, wanting to prolong the experience a few moments longer. Gradually, he sensed a presence nearby. Opening his eyes, he saw the Captain sitting a few feet away to his right, leaning back against a tree in the late afternoon sun, watching him. _No_, he thought, _seeing the simple taupe-colored trousers and white shirt, it's Kathryn. She managed to leave the Captain on the ship this time._

"Have you been here long?" he asked.

"Maybe twenty minutes. Neelix brought me down here for a picnic lunch," she said, indicating the basket, "but got called back to Voyager. I think he and Tuvok double-teamed me just to get me off the ship for a while. Triple-teamed me, if you include the Doctor."

"Is that so terrible? Burying yourself in work the way you have been for the past few weeks will wear you out eventually."

"My ability to focus was already starting to go, so I went along with it. I had a book beamed down after Neelix left, but couldn't keep my mind on it, so I started to explore the grounds until I found this spot. You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb you." When Chakotay did not respond to her comments immediately, she asked, "Would you like me to leave?"

"No, Kathryn," he said. "We have to talk."

"I know," she said, and looked away. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Janeway watched the sunlight dance on the water of the inlet while she tried to gather her thoughts. Finally, she met Chakotay's eyes and then quickly looked down. "I don't know where to start."

"Then I will," he said. "First of all, you should know that I forgive you for everything connected with the _Equinox_."

Janeway flinched, as she had not expected Chakotay to get to the heart of the matter between them quite so fast. "How can you forgive me that easily?" she sputtered. "I don't deserve it after the way I behaved."

"Maybe you don't really understand the concept of forgiveness, Kathryn. It's not about deserving, or even about right and wrong so much as it's about not letting the past ruin the present and the future. My forgiving you doesn't make what you did right, it just makes it possible for me to let go of it and try to heal the damage."

"I don't know what to say."

"No, I don't suppose you do. You're stubborn about admitting you're wrong to begin with, and then you tend to keep any regrets to yourself. If I didn't take the first step to resolve things between us by forgiving you, who knows if things ever would've been settled." He paused for a moment and then admitted, "I've missed spending time with Kathryn these past few weeks."

She looked away. "I just couldn't face you when I didn't have ship's business to keep you at arm's length, Chakotay. I kept running these imaginary conversations in my head, hoping to find the right words to apologize, but I couldn't get past how ashamed I was for the way I abused my authority. Not only did I mistreat you, but I tortured Noah Lessing to further a personal vendetta. I would have killed him if you hadn't stopped me. I'm no better than Ransom torturing and killing those innocent life-forms, and I'm not sure I can live with that."

"You aren't the first captain to lose your perspective, Kathryn, and living with it isn't supposed to be easy. We've both had to resort to violence when absolutely necessary. That's easier to accept than willfully stepping over a line we knew was there, but deliberately chose to ignore."

"It seemed like the only reasonable option at the time."

"That's the seductive power of evil," he said. "In a way, it's almost contagious. Once evil makes an appearance, it can worm its way in so easily when your guard is down. It begins to twist your mind until anything seems justifiable. We've both been lucky. Someone was there to stop us."

"We?" she asked.

"I'm remembering a time in the Maquis when my cell blew up a munitions dump on a moon just outside the Badlands. We'd taken about a half dozen Cardassian prisoners and were marching them along to where we were going to leave them, when one of them noticed my tattoo. He must have been all of sixteen or seventeen. He started in with racial slurs about my tribe, saying how sorry he was that he hadn't gotten me as well, and by the time he got around to describing how he'd raped my mother and sister, I had my hands around his throat and Mike Ayala and B'Elanna were struggling to pull me off him."

"Chakotay!"

"He was just stabbing blindly in the dark with his insults, hoping to draw blood. I'd managed to find out by then which unit had been responsible for murdering my family on Trebus, and he didn't have anything to do with it, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to avenge my family and my tribe, and if strangling a teenager would satisfy that bloodlust, then it was fine with me. I was enjoying any pain I could inflict on him."

Janeway shuddered.

"At the time, I wanted to hammer Mike and B'Elanna for stopping me, but I'm glad they did. They reminded me that killing just for the sheer enjoyment of it was Suder's game. It would have destroyed a piece of my soul if I'd taken a life needlessly, and they knew it."

Chakotay paused for a moment to choose his next words carefully. "If I'd allowed you to turn those nucleogenic creatures on Noah Lessing when I could have stopped you, my soul would have been just as lost. It hurt like hell when you relieved me of duty, but I took consolation in knowing I'd done the right thing."

"I'd have lost more than just a piece of my soul if you hadn't stopped me, Chakotay. I can't believe that as a Starfleet officer, I betrayed..."

"Stop it, Kathryn. Everyone has their limit. We've been out here with no support and no counseling for six years. The Captain's held up pretty well under incredible pressure, but what about Kathryn? What about the person behind the rank who wants more than anything right now to be able to forgive herself?"

Janeway couldn't answer for the lump in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling, but several managed to escape and ran down her cheeks. Chakotay reached over and pulled her to him, and that was all it took. She wrapped her arms around him and hung on for dear life as great, wracking sobs shook her. Chakotay held her close and rocked back and forth, rubbing her back to soothe her as years of accumulated, unexpressed pain surfaced. He wondered when she had last allowed herself the luxury of tears.

She finally cried herself out. Janeway felt drained and leaned back against Chakotay, her head resting on his shoulder, allowing herself for once the comfort of feeling his strong arms around her. Just as her eyelids were beginning to droop from emotional exhaustion, her combadge chirped.

"Tuvok to Janeway."

Chakotay put a finger to her lips as he reached over with the other hand and tapped her combadge. "Chakotay here."

"Is the Captain with you, Commander?"

"Yes, Tuvok. Right next to me, as a matter of fact, but she's fast asleep. I'd rather not disturb her, since she gets so little rest to begin with. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, Commander. I was just checking with her to see when she might be returning to the ship," said Tuvok.

"Well, I thought I'd just let her sleep for now. I don't know what her plans are once she's finished her nap, but I'm hoping to persuade her to stay on Riskan a while longer, considering that she seldom takes leave. I'll call for transport when we're ready to return."

"Very well, Commander. Tuvok out."

Chakotay turned to his commanding officer and said, "Starfleet captains don't cry, and I thought Captain Janeway might appreciate it if we kept up that appearance. The crew doesn't have to know that Kathryn can cry me a river with the best of them. Now let me see what's in that picnic basket."

Janeway smacked Chakotay lightly on the arm, and then gave him one of her wry smiles as she sat up and pulled the basket over to rest on the grass between them. Chakotay stuck his hand in the moment the lid was opened and rummaged around until he found a napkin. He tossed it to her, saying, "Here -- blow. Maybe you can find me a dermal regenerator in there for the bruise on my arm once you're done."

She smirked, blew her nose, and stuck the tissue into a trouser pocket. Digging around in the picnic basket, Janeway pulled out the rest of the deviled throck and set it next to her on the grass. She reached back in for the thermos of Vulcan spice tea and found several more unopened containers in the bottom of the basket. She pulled out one with corn salad inside and several others with vegetarian dishes, and said, "Now I know this was a setup."

Back on _Voyager_, Neelix looked at Tuvok and said, "Mission accomplished."

Several weeks later, 0205 hours found Kathryn Janeway in Airponics, book in hand and walking toward the back of the bay, where the highly-scented flowers Neelix gathered while on Riskan had taken root and were flourishing. The spot had become an off-duty favorite of hers, especially on nights when she was having trouble sleeping. She found the sweet fragrance to be soothing, and often brought a book to read until she unwound enough to go back to bed.

She rounded the corner to the place where Neelix had thoughtfully placed a bench for her, and was surprised to see Noah Lessing with his nose buried in a large cream-colored blossom. Lessing jumped to attention the moment he registered her presence.

"At ease, Mr. Lessing. It's past 0200, and we're both off duty." She paused for a moment and then asked, "Can't sleep?"

"No, ma'am, not tonight. Nightmares. You?"

Janeway cringed inwardly, but managed to conceal it. She knew she had been a contributing factor to more than a few of Lessing's nightmares, but realized that he hadn't made the comment out of spite.

"I've had my share, mostly after we've run into the Borg," she answered, "but if I can't sleep, it's usually because my mind is too full of ship's business. Ever since Neelix brought these plants back from Riskan, I've been coming down here to read on nights like that."

"That would explain the bench. Well, I'll leave you to your book, Captain," Lessing said, as he turned to leave.

"Not so fast, Mr. Lessing." Janeway winced at the authoritarian tone of her voice. She made herself comfortable on the bench, and softened her approach, saying, "Noah, come sit down and tell me how you're fitting in on Voyager. How has the rest of the crew been treating you?"

Lessing took a seat and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together and staring at the deck. "Better than I expected, ma'am, all things considered. The Maquis crewmembers have been a little friendlier than the rest, but Tom Paris and Harry Kim have been going out of their way to smooth things over for all of us with the Starfleet people."

"I've learned quite a bit about the Maquis from Commander Chakotay over the years, Noah. They have far more experience at doing whatever it takes to survive than the Starfleet crew on this ship. It doesn't surprise me that they'd be more understanding, but the rest will come around eventually. We're going to be out here a long time."

"I'd gladly spend the rest of my life in the Delta Quadrant if I could take back what I helped to do to those innocent creatures," Lessing said. "It made most of us on the _Equinox_ sick. I couldn't believe that Rudy would go along with it once Max started pushing him to use that multiphasic chamber on them. Max managed to twist all of us around until killing life-forms and converting their bodies to fuel became just another part of our daily routine, like purging a filter or running a diagnostic. Marla and I used to sit around wondering how in hell he ever passed the psych evaluation at the Academy. We hated his guts."

"Chakotay said something to me several weeks ago about how contagious evil can be, and how it can seduce us into doing things we'd never dream of doing otherwise. None of us is immune to its influence, Noah. You and I know that better than anyone," Janeway said. "I wasn't exactly a paragon of Starfleet virtue a few months ago."

"No, ma'am, but I understand that you did what you felt you had to. You were trying to protect your crew and stop the killing at the same time."

It was Janeway's turn to stare at the deck. After a few moments, she spoke. "That still doesn't make threatening you the way I did right." She looked over at Lessing and said, "Fortunately for both of us, I have a better First Officer than Rudy Ransom ever did."

"Chakotay's a good man."

"That he is," she replied, stifling a yawn. Janeway stood and stretched.

Noah Lessing asked, "Off to bed, Captain?"

"I think I'd better," she said. "I'm on beta shift this week, but I don't want to spend my entire morning sleeping." Janeway thought for a moment and then said, "Tell me, Noah. Did you have a chance to visit the Luternan monastery garden when we were on Riskan?"

"No, ma'am. Neelix recommended it, but Brian and Angelo wanted to do something else, so I never got to see it."

"Computer, is holodeck 2 available?" asked Janeway.

"Affirmative."

"Come with me, Noah," she said.

They left the Airponics Bay together and walked to the turbolift. "Deck 6," Janeway ordered once they were inside.

She turned to Lessing and said, "Chakotay was able to make a holorecording of the monastery grounds when we were on Riskan. He went to the monks and explained what we'd just been through, and they gave him permission to use a holorecorder in exchange for some help with upgrading their communications system."

They exited the turbolift, and Janeway continued. "They were surprisingly technological for a religious order. Chakotay said they told him that they believed it was important to be in the world, while not of the world. He was fascinated by that."

"Sounds like advice worth taking," said Lessing.

They continued on in silence until they reached the holodeck. "Ah, here we are," said Janeway, reaching up to tap a command into the LCARS panel. "Computer, reserve this holodeck for the next hour, authorization Janeway Omega Pi Alpha, and run program Chakotay Riskan 1."

The holodeck doors opened on the Luternan monastery. Janeway and Lessing stepped inside and found themselves standing diagonally across the street from the walled garden with its open door.

"It's a good place to come when you have some thinking to do," Janeway said. She turned away, looking out across the street to the garden beyond the door. "You know, Noah, Federation principles still apply out here in the Delta Quadrant, but they're a lot harder to hang onto as time goes by. We've both made mistakes that we'll be held accountable for when Voyager reaches home, but in the meantime, we have to do the very best we can to be a positive influence in this quadrant every single day that we're out here."

"I'll do my best to live up to that, Captain."

Janeway nodded and changed the subject. Looking up at him, she said, "If you walk into the forest at the far end of the large plaza, you'll find those flowers you liked so much in airponics grow wild in there. They give off some kind of pheromone that has a mild tranquilizing effect. I gave Chakotay permission to duplicate it for the program, with the Doctor's blessing. Maybe a walk in the woods will settle your nerves long enough for you to get a good night's sleep."

Lessing smiled for the first time Janeway could ever remember having seen in her presence. "Thank you, Captain," he said, "for everything." She acknowledged his words with a nod, and he turned and started across the street toward the open door.

Janeway remained standing where she was, remembering how Tuvok and Neelix had conspired to get her and Chakotay together in the same place, with the unspoken hope that the peaceful setting would begin the process of healing the breach between them. She watched as Noah Lessing climbed the four steps to disappear from view, and said her own quiet words of thanksgiving for the sunlit afternoon when she had first walked through that very door and found forgiveness.

(c) September 2003


End file.
